Ministers spend £900,000 with P&O Ferries since ‘appalling’ sacking scandal

On Mar 16, 2024

Ministers have spent £900,000 with P&O Ferries within the two years because the mass firing scandal that noticed the agency’s behaviour branded “appalling” by the Government.

On the anniversary of the scandal, which noticed lots of of workers sacked with out prior session, Labour has warned little to nothing has been finished to forestall a repeat of it.

Since then, authorities departments have spent nearly £900,000 with P&O Ferries, primarily by the Ministry of Defence, in accordance with knowledge obtained by Labour in Parliamentary Questions.

Louise Haigh, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, mentioned: “It has now been two years since P&O Ferries illegally sacked 786 workers and replaced them with agency workers paid less than the minimum wage. Since then little to nothing has changed: The investigation into the company has gone silent, fire and rehire is still legal, no binding measures are in place to protect seafarers, and Ministers have rewarded P&O with hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money.“

In response to the scandal, then-PM Boris Johnson said P&O Ferries had “broken the law” and mentioned the federal government would “take them to court”.

But the Insolvency Service’s civil investigation into P&O Ferries stays unresolved and hearth and rehire practices stay authorized. And the Seafarers’ Wages Act, handed final March, has but to return in to drive – leaving as many as 4,400 seafarers are nonetheless being paid under the minimal wage.

In a letter to the Transport and Business Secretaries, Ms Haigh known as on the Tories to indicate it is not going to tolerate extra assaults on working individuals by adopting Labour’s plan to forestall a repeat of this scandal ever occurring once more. As properly as requiring employers to correctly seek the advice of employees earlier than altering their contracts, Labour’s plan would crack down on “fire and rehire” techniques. And it might make the Seafarers’ Charter – presently a voluntary settlement of requirements – legally binding.

Ms Haigh added: “It is clear that under the Tories these attacks will be allowed to continue, and that working people will always come last. The next Labour government will take action and legislate to end fire and rehire practices for good so that this scandal can never happen again.”